Looking back at 2021 and ahead to 2022
FLSA and Wage and Hour Issues for Restaurants
#WorkforceWednesday: Mandatory Vaccination, Tipped Worker Rule, and SCOTUS Rules Against Organized Labor - Employment Law This Week®
Reporting Cash Tips to the IRS [More with McGlinchey, Ep. 24]
#WorkforceWednesday: EEOC Withdraws, DOL Rolls Back, and OSHA Expands - Employment Law This Week®
Employment Law Now IV-86- 3 Quick Hits: FFCRA Extension, Trump Executive Order, and New DOL Tipping Rule
II-36- Holiday Party Tips, the 2018/2019 Federal Regulatory Agenda, and Noteworthy Cases On Suing and Being Sued
On July 30, 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill (Senate Bill 648) that authorizes the state’s labor commissioner to investigate tip theft and levy fines for violations. The new law is particularly...more
New York restaurant owners must navigate complex tip pooling and tip credit regulations to ensure compliance with federal and state labor laws. Failure to follow these rules can result in lawsuits, back wages, and penalties....more
As the New Jersey legislature considers eliminating the tip credit—a move that would require all restaurant workers to be paid the full minimum wage regardless of tips—the hospitality and business communities are pushing...more
In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the tenth day of the holidays, my labor and...more
Employers with tipped employees are constantly trying to keep up with the ever-changing and evolving tip credit rules promulgated by the United States Department of Labor (DOL) — specifically, what is known as the 80/20 rule....more
In a highly anticipated decision published on August 23, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit struck down the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Final Rule that limited the circumstances under which an...more
This Littler Lightbulb highlights some of the more significant employment law developments in federal courts of appeal in the last month. Fifth Circuit Vacates DOL Tip Credit Rule...more
There’s been a lot of buzz about tipped wages as Election Day approaches – and hospitality employers will want to track key proposals that may have a huge impact on pay practices. Former President Trump and Vice President...more
Hospitality employers take note – the Department of Labor’s (DOL) tip rule has been struck down. The tip credit is a provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) that allows employers to pay tipped employees a lower...more
In a highly anticipated opinion, on August 23, 2024, the Fifth Circuit in Restaurant Law Center v. U.S. Department of Labor (Case No. 23-50562) struck down a Final Rule promulgated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that...more
On August 23, 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a final rule promulgated by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) restricting when employers could take a tip credit for tipped employees under the Fair Labor...more
In a long-awaited decision, the Department of Labor (DOL) regulation setting strict limits on the amount of time that tipped employees can spend performing work that does not directly generate tips has been struck down by the...more
On August 23, 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a 2021 regulation by the U.S. Department of Labor restricting employers’ use of the tip credit for tipped employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The...more
On August 22, 2024, the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity (LEO) issued a press release on the heels of the Mothering Justice decision, about which we previously wrote, and which will drastically change the...more
Massachusetts voters will decide this November whether employers may continue taking a “tip credit” and paying tipped employees below the state’s standard minimum wage. While restaurant industry representatives fought to keep...more
Many restaurants utilize tip pools to encourage teamwork, consistency, and customer-focused service – but you may be confused about who can and can’t participate in the pool. You feel confident that your servers and...more
Tips from Seyfarth is a blog series for employers, and their in-house lawyers and HR, payroll, and compensation professionals, in the food, beverage, and hospitality sector. We curate wage and hour compliance “tips” to keep...more
Recent news of six-digit demands and lawsuits filed by the Department of Labor against multiple Oregon-based institutional restaurant chains has local businesses across the service industry wondering: “Are we tipping our...more
After seemingly bouncing back from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and related labor, supply chain, and governmental mandate issues, the hospitality industry experienced a year of volatility in 2023, with...more
The Learned Concierge Welcome to your monthly legal insights on the trends impacting the Retail, Hospitality, and Food & Beverage Industries....more
This post is part of a series of articles previewing the unique type of information and guidance contained in the Pullman & Comley Hospitality Team’s “Connecticut Restaurant Guidebook 2023 Edition.” Available to members of...more
Back in 2019, I posted about the difference between a Service Charge, an Automatic Gratuity, and a Gratuity/Tip. I explained that a service charge is typically a set amount added to a guest check in lieu of a tip. An...more
Dear Littler, We operate sandwich shops in a couple of states. Although we have tables, we don’t have table service, and customers pick up food at the counter themselves to either take out or seat themselves at our...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: After a remand from the Fifth Circuit, a trial court has upheld the validity of the Department of Labor’s 2021 regulation codifying the 80/20 rule, raising the possibility of another appeal....more